Jade Monkey

I put the phone down. It seems that every time I’ve picked up a phone lately I’ve been asking for favours. This time hadn’t been any different. I sat down and leaned forward in the chair and put my hands over my ears to try and block out the singing. While I’d been out, Pete’s had been annexed by the third Reich. I don’t know quite what it is about being in war movies that means everyone has to try drinking Schnapps, but nobody ever seems to have the head for it. I just wish they didn’t feel they had to sing too.

After I’d got back from the office I’d showered, changed and wondered whether the reporters approach to dealing with stress might not have some merit. Getting Andy to arrange an impromptu performance hadn’t been difficult. Trying to convince him to take me along wearing anything other than evening dress had been a sticking point and I’d eventually had to give in.

I’d wanted something inconspicuous, but Andy had insisted, saying that if I didn’t suit up I would be conspicuous. I wasn’t convinced.

Stiles walked in and sat opposite me, with cotton wool stuck in his ears. I took my hands from my ears and waved to get his attention.

‘I need you to stay here.’

Stiles nodded. ‘And babysit the reporter right?’

‘Someone needs to be around when comes round, to find out what got the goonsquad on his case.’

He wasn’t exactly happy about it, and argued for a while, but he finally agreed to stay behind. The EHB had a telephone at the front desk; I figured that a message for Andy would probably make it to me if it couldn’t wait.

Andy’s car was sleek, black, and looked as if it was going too fast when it was standing still. As I got in I gave silent thanks that Stiles wasn’t driving. The EHB club was exactly where I’d left it. The word had got out that Andy was going to put in an appearance and crowd thronged the road outside waiting to get in. People pointed and waved as we drove around to a small gated car park. Small lights bathed the tarmac in an almost surreal orange glow that reached a couple of feet up the old brick work that made up the back of the building.

Even at the back door a small crowd of backstage crew, chorus girls and curious members of staff had gathered. Andy smiled, waved, and went to greet his public while I followed in his wake. Inside I joined the crowd following him, and someone put their arm through mine. I didn’t turn around.

‘Hello Lisa.’

‘You could been a little startled.’

‘Well I was expecting you.’ I paused and shot a glance at her.

Lisa, or more properly Nurse Lisa was a few inches shorter than me, with shoulder length hair that was currently tinted a dark red. Her skin was pale where she’d been spending too much time on night shifts in the hospital again, but her eyes were clear and alert.

We passed a couple of dressing rooms and as Andy was shown his I nodded to him and Lisa steered me down a separate corridor and gave me my arm back. She examined me a moment.

‘You need some sleep.’

‘I can sleep later. I need information first.’

‘Carry on like that and I’ll lace your food with anaesthetic again.’

‘I was perfectly fine then too.’

‘You’d been shot three times.’

I shrugged. ‘I survived.’

‘You would have survived and got better faster if you’d have done what I told you.’ She stole a quick glance at the clock on the wall beside us. ‘Look, as fun as this is you don’t have much time. Ten minutes and your friend should finish her song and be back in her dressing room. Down this corridor, turn left, third door on the right. Got that?’

I nodded.

‘Good luck, I’ve got to get back to my date. He’s probably wondering where I’ve got to.’

‘Yeah, save me the window bed on the second floor just in case.’

She waved back to me as she made her way back to the dance floor and her date.  I stood there for a moment and checked my watch against the clock before pulling an almost pristine paper rose from my jacket pocket and starting towards the dressing room.

No-one looked askance of me as I walked along backstage. A key part of disguise is that people don’t have time and don’t pay attention. The right attitude and the right dress can get you a long way before someone actually realises you shouldn’t be there at all.

The secretary’s dressing room was one of five on a long straight corridor. I didn’t have to wait long before she appeared. Her hair was pinned up and she wore a black Chinese style dress with two dragons picked out in silver, red and gold thread. Her expression was distracted, and unfocussed. She didn’t notice me until she was almost to the door of her dressing room and only then when I stepped in front of her, the paper rose in my hand.

She took the rose and smiled. ‘You brush up well’

‘And you look as beautiful as ever.’

‘Hmm. Flattery. It’s nice to hear, but it suggests to me that you have ulterior motives.’

‘Oh, I’ve got ulterior motives. But I also have a few questions.’

‘I thought you might.’ She sniffed the rose absently, and looked me in surprise. ‘You scented the rose?’

I shrugged. ‘Roses should smell sweet.’ I almost didn’t catch the movement of her eyes that told me she’d checked out who was in the corridor behind us. Curious, why should she be worried?

She looked from the rose to me, and seemed to make a decision. ‘Well we can hardly talk here, do come in.’ She opened the door beside us gestured me inside.